Table of Contents
What is an example of self-stigma?
Types of Self-Stigma Feeling that your illness is your fault. Believing mental illness has ruined your life. Feeling like others are incapable of understanding you. Stigma is when someone views you in a negative way because you have a distinguishing characteristic or personal trait that’s thought to be, or actually is, a disadvantage (a negative stereotype). Self-stigma is not only associated with public stigma (Vogel et al., 2013) but also encompasses the same three elements: stereotype, prejudice, and discrimination. Self-stigma is frequent in Europe (41.7% of 1229 participants with schizophrenia and 21.7% of 1182 participants with mood disorders9,10) and North America (36.1% of 144 people with SMI13). Shame can be thought of as the impact or emotion that comes from stigma, like feelings of embarrassment, self-hate, sense of failure, feeling hopeless. This can also sometimes be called self-stigma.
Where does self-stigma come from?
Public stigma is the most prominent form observed and studied, as it represents the prejudice and discrimination directed at a group by the larger population. Self-stigma occurs when people internalize these public attitudes and suffer numerous negative consequences as a result. However, most authors agree with Goffman’s basic definition, which identified the main elements of stigma such as labeling, stereotyping, social isolation, prejudice, rejection, ignorance, status loss, low self-esteem, low self-efficacy, marginalization, and discrimination [1,2,3]. Synonyms of stigma. : a mark of shame or discredit : stain. bore the stigma of cowardice. plural usually stigmata : an identifying mark or characteristic. specifically : a specific diagnostic sign of a disease. According to Webster, synonyms for stigma include shame, disgrace, dishonor, ignominy, opprobrium, humiliation, (bad) reputation.
Why is it called the stigma?
The term stigma originated in ancient Greece, where it referred to symbols burned into the skin of enslaved people and people judged as criminals or traitors. These symbols, or stigmas, suggested the person was “blemished” and that others should avoid and shun them. Taking a dictionary definition approach, stigma is a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person.” For purposes of behavioral health, people often assign negative qualities to a person based on their circumstances. The feelings of being stigmatised include shame, feeling rejected, feeling insulted, feeling discredited by others, depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. While a stigma is always negative, stereotypes are not. They can be both positive and negative. That being said, both negative and positive stereotypes can have negative consequences because they are often untrue.
What are the 3 types of stigma?
Goffman identified three main types of stigma: (1) stigma associated with mental illness; (2) stigma associated with physical deformation; and (3) stigma attached to identification with a particular race, ethnicity, religion, ideology, etc. Stigma stress occurs when perceived harm due to stigma exceeds one’s perceived coping resources and is associated with emotional reactions such as shame and anxiety as well as broader outcomes like reduced self-esteem and hopelessness [6], [10]. People with mental illness may face stigma — they may be viewed in a negative way, treated differently, and made to feel ashamed or worthless, as if they are somehow less than other people. Stigma can also lead to discrimination, and this in turn can make mental illness worse. The Self-Stigma of Depression Scale is designed to assess the extent to which a person holds stigmatising attitudes towards themselves in relation to having depression. It is a 16 item scale with four subscales: Shame, Self-blame, Social inadequacy, and Help-seeking inhibition.
What is self-stigma in addiction?
Addictions are commonly accompanied by a sense of shame or self-stigmatization. Self-stigmatization results from public stigmatization in a process leading to the internalization of the social opprobrium attaching to the negative stereotypes associated with addiction. As mentioned in ‘Who stigmatises? ‘, a stigmatised person can feel fear or shame, which can lead to anxiety and depression. Because of this, or because of discrimination or anticipated stigma, they may no longer take part in any social activities. This limits social participation and leads to social exclusion. Self-Stigma of Mental Illness Scale It contains 40 items, with 10 items representing each of the 4 constructs in our self-stigma model: stereotype awareness, stereotype agreement, stereotype self-concurrence, and self-esteem decrement. Stigma related to anxiety Research from the National Survey of Mental Health Literacy and Stigma shows that a common misconception about how society views anxiety is ‘most people believe that anxiety is a sign of personal weakness’.